News and Information
E-News
Guidelines E-News is a periodic newsletter delivered via email by the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy. Guidelines E-News provides information on the system of voluntary guidelines for the State’s circuit courts and highlights changes to the guidelines. It also provides useful information on worksheet completion and submission.
E-News 2026, Volume 21
News Releases – 2026
- July 10, 2026: Proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines were published in the July 10, 2026, issue of the Maryland Register (Volume 53, Issue 14). The purpose of the proposed amendments is to remove select fields from the sentencing guidelines worksheet that lack direct utility to the sentencing guidelines and/or the work of the MSCCSP. Additionally, the proposed amendments reorganize the instructions for scoring victim injury, expand the definition of physical victim injury (part C of the offense score) and add examples of minor, non-permanent, and permanent injuries. Lastly, the proposed amendments clarify that an individual is not involved with the criminal justice system for the purposes of calculating the offender score if the individual’s only involvement is to comply with the ongoing reporting requirements associated with sex offender registration in the State or elsewhere. Comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted through August 30, 2026.
- July 6, 2026: The MSCCSP issued a new version of the Guidelines Offense Table (Appendix A of the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines Manual) and the corresponding updates were adopted in the Code of Maryland Regulations, effective July 6, 2026. The July 6, 2026, Guidelines E-News contains additional details about these revisions.
- May 1, 2026: Proposed amendments to the sentencing guidelines were published in the May 1, 2026, issue of the Maryland Register (Volume 53, Issue 9). The purpose of this action is to clarify that criminal desertion is not a guidelines offense. This is not a new guideline rule but rather clarification of an existing rule. Additionally, the purpose of this action is to modify the guidelines offense table to reflect: (1) the addition of three previously unclassified offenses; (2) the reclassification of one offense from property to person; (3) the addition of two offenses with a maximum penalty of 1 year or less since they may be prosecuted in circuit courts; and (4) minor edits to the table, including a slight revision to an offense description and the correction of a statute. Comments on the proposed amendments will be accepted through June 1, 2026.
- April 24, 2026: The Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy (MSCCSP) is HIRING! The MSCCSP seeks applicants for a detail oriented and enthusiastic full-time Faculty Specialist/Research Assistant. The full job description, including qualifications, compensation, and benefits, can be accessed via the University of Maryland Workday Application Portal. For best consideration, applicants should apply online via the portal by 5/22/2026.
- March 9, 2026: New features were released in version 13.0 of the Maryland Automated Guidelines System (MAGS). The What’s New in MAGS 13.0 document provides a summary of the changes to MAGS.
- January 31, 2026: The MSCCSP released its 2025 Annual Report which summarizes the Commission’s work last year, describes FY 2025 circuit court sentencing trends in Maryland, provides a comprehensive examination of judicial compliance with the State’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, and details information provided on the State’s sentencing guidelines worksheets. The report also offers a description of planned activities for the year ahead.
- January 1, 2026: The MSCCSP released new versions of the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines Manual (MSGM) and the Guidelines Offense Table, effective January 1, 2026. These updates include: (1) revisions to the Guidelines Offense Table; (2) instructions for calculating sentencing guidelines for multiple violations, including contemporaneous violations, of CR, § 4-204 or CR, § 4-306(b); and (3) a revision to the definition of psychological victim injury in the sentencing guidelines Offense Score (MSGM, 6.1.B. Victim Injury). The January 2026 Guidelines E-News provides further details about these updates, as well as a note regarding the Maryland Automated Guidelines System (MAGS).
